Different Shades of Life
by Kalico37
Summary: An episodic compilation of light RWBY one-shots with the occasional two-parter thrown in, providing a glimpse into life outside of fighting monsters. No specific pairings to speak of, mainly exploring the relationships and friendships between the four. Not necessarily in chronological order, and not necessarily canon-compliant. Rated T because that's my thing. SEASON ONE COMPLETE.
1. Rapier

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own RWBY or any original characters/locations/etc. from the series. But I do lay claim to this (surprisingly) new project idea (it's strange that no one else has done something like this for RWBY yet...oh well! I'm not complaining!).**

**This project has now kicked off! **

* * *

"Weiss, drop the sword!" Yang yelled forcefully.

Weiss flinched, but didn't lower Myrtenaster. She kept her eyes and the rapier trained on the cowering figure in the corner of the room. "No! I warned her! She must pay! And…it's a rapier…be specific!"

"I said I was sorry!" Ruby meekly shouted from the corner.

* * *

**15 Minutes Earlier….**

Unknown to Weiss, Ruby watched as she swiftly and expertly ran a cloth up and down the blade of Myrtenaster, mesmerised by the older girl's graceful handling of the rapier.

"I guess you've been doing this sort of thing for a while now, huh?" Ruby said from where she was standing by Weiss.

The heiress looked up from the weapon, surprised to see Ruby standing over her. Her eyes narrowed at the younger girl. "Is there a reason you're here?" she asked with a frown.

Her voice startled Ruby out of her trance. "Uh-um-I-uh-"

"Yeah, you could say a while," Weiss said, returning her gaze and focus to her work. "I've been practising swordplay about as long as I can remember."

Ruby tentatively reached out her hand. "It just…looks so cool, the way you do that…"

Weiss chuckled softly, "Thanks, I try to treat my weapons and equipment with the best care possible." She felt the sudden shift in the bed she was sitting on, and sighed at Ruby, who sat down next to her. "I repeat, is there a reason you're here?" she turned to Ruby, who was staring transfixed at Myrtenaster.

"Huh?" The young girl snapped out of it, but kept looking at the weapon. "Oh…Um, no, I was just walking past when I saw you doing this…I'm kind of a nerd when it comes to weapons. I don't know…I mean, it's not like I hate my weapon, but I just love seeing new ones, and yours is pretty cool," she explained. Weiss didn't respond, continuing to appear impassive. Ruby looked up at Weiss, "Can I help?" she probed.

Weiss' eyes widened, with a look that read, _I can't believe you seriously just asked that_. "Um, no. In case you haven't noticed, this is my weapon."'

"Pllleeeasseee?" Ruby eagerly pleaded.

Weiss noticed her eyes; she could have sworn that they were sparkling. "….fine," she sighed, much to Ruby's delight. Over the excited squeal that the young girl let loose, she continued, "But if you so much as leave a smudge on it, you'll wish you never came to Beacon. Clear?"

Ruby nodded ecstatically, and Weiss hesitantly handed her the rapier and the polishing cloth.

* * *

"Hey Blake, have you seen Ruby around?"

"Actually, Yang, I-"

"_I said I was sorry Weiss!"_

_CRASH!_

Yang and Blake snapped their heads around to the source of the calamity. The blonde grinned sheepishly at the other girl, "Heh, never mind."

* * *

Blake was the first to speak out above the tension in the dorm room that had confronted herself and Yang when they burst in.

"Weiss, uh, what are you doing?" She asked, curiously. Weiss didn't respond.

"Weiss, drop the sword!" Yang yelled, more forcefully.

Weiss flinched, but didn't lower Myrtenaster. She kept her eyes and the rapier trained on the cowering figure in the corner of the room. "No! I warned her! She must pay! And…it's a rapier…be specific!"

"I said I was sorry!" Ruby meekly shouted from the corner.

Yang pushed Weiss out of the way and ran over to Ruby, who looked on the verge of tears. She turned back to look at Weiss. With venom in her voice, she slowly asked, "What. Did. You. Do. To her?"

Weiss was slightly taken aback, but still held her nerve. Wordlessly she held out Myrtenaster, and pointed to a scratch on the Dust chamber.

Yang wasn't impressed. "So?" she pointed out, "It's a scratch. Deal with it."

Weiss was flabbergasted. "Are you freaking kidding me?"

Yang turned to Ruby. A lot more softly, she asked, "What happened here, sis?"

Ruby looked away from the angry pale blue eyes of Weiss, and into the lilac ones of Yang. "Well, I asked her if I could help her take care of her weapon, and she let me, and I accidentally…it was an accident, Yang! I only wanted to help her! I said I was sorry!" She rambled timidly.

Yang picked Ruby up from the floor, and wrapped her arms around her younger sister. Much to Weiss' shock, Blake brushed past her and proceeded to join Yang and Ruby for a group hug.

"Wha-this is ridiculous! I'm the victim here! She damaged my weapon! Why am I the one being railroaded?!" Weiss spluttered furiously.

Yang and Blake simultaneously turned around at the noise, both glaring at Weiss. She ignored Yang's look of pure venom, but caught Blake's, which was less accusatory, but on the other hand was also asking a question. Realising what Blake was suggesting, Weiss' eyes widened, and she put up her hands. "No. Way. That's not gonna happen."

Blake's frown deepened. "Weiss. Do it."

Weiss exhaled profoundly as she crossed her arms. "You can't make me."

Almost as if on cue, Ruby looked into Weiss' eyes with big, sparkling, silver, eyes. "I'm sorry Weiss. I only wanted to help you."

Weiss lowered her arms-

Looking away again, Ruby quietly added, "It's a really cool weapon…"

-That did it. Weiss' resolve melted, and she joined in the group hug. She sighed, "I'm...sorry, I guess," another sigh, "I shouldn't have flipped like that." She felt Ruby smiling in the twisted embrace, and shook her head to herself. _Note to self: stop collapsing whenever she gives you puppy dog eyes!_ She thought, and added lightly, _No matter how cute she looks when she does it._

* * *

**As stated in the summary, these chapters will be largely non-chronological. R&R if you feel, and be sure to hit up my profile page for more updates!**

**(EDIT:13/09): Following Episode 9, I re-wrote certain small details.**

******(EDIT: 11/11): After I wrapped on Season One, I decided to revisit all the installments; cleaned up a little.**

**...Truly Yours, Kalico.**


	2. Kiss

**New chapter! **

* * *

"Come on, Ruby! Don't be like that! I think it's just so cute!"

"Shut up shut up shut up!"

Blake sighed. Peaceful moments? Clearly too much ask for at Beacon. She gazed in the direction of the voices, and saw an agitated Ruby storm through the doorway, followed by Yang, who had a wickedly-wide smile on her face as she continued on her mission: taking advantage of her sister's latest revelation. The two came to a halt just behind Blake, which meant that she now had to listen to their conversation.

"Why are you getting so hung up on this, Ruby?"

"Because you keep talking about it! I don't even know why I told you anymore!"

"I have to keep talking about it because it's important! I mean, you're my sister, after all. I can't believe I didn't know all this before now!"

"Maybe there was a reason for that."

"Yeah? What was it?"

Ruby crossed her arms and glared at Yang, who merely smiled back, oblivious to the daggers the younger girl was shooting towards her.

Blake, who had turned around at this point, found herself between the pair, who were locked in a tense silence. "So, what's up?" she awkwardly asked.

Ruby shifted her glare onto the would-be negotiator, before stomping off to flop down on one of the beds.

Blake prompted the other girl hopefully, "Yang?"

Yang grinned at Blake. "I just found out that Ruby has never kissed anyone!"

"Argh! I said shut up!" was the reply from the bed.

Yang ignored her, beaming happily, "Isn't it cute? She's just so innocent, isn't she?"

"I don't understand. Isn't she 15?" Blake posited with a raised eyebrow.

"Can we just stop talking about this, like, now?" Ruby asked, with more than a desperate hint of finality in her voice.

"Oh Ruby, we're just teasing you! I think it's adorable that my little sister hasn't kissed anyone," Yang waved her hand in Ruby's direction.

Blake quirked her eyebrow. "Hang on, 'we'?"

Ruby thumped her hands on the bed as she stood up. "Okay, I'm out of here!" she declared as she tramped out the room.

* * *

Ruby grumbled under her breath as she headed out of the room and down the corridor. She was fuming, and subsequently more focused on the rambling in her head than particularly noticing where she was going. _How could she just start teasing me like that? It's not my fault I've never kissed anyone. It's not even that big a deal, right? Right. Yang's just being stupid. But, maybe…no! Shut up, brain! Stop thinking about it, just-_

"AHH!"

"OOF!"

_THUD! THUMP!_

Ruby felt someone lying under her, and opened her eyes to see that she was face to face with Weiss. Well, not just face-to-face, but lip-to-lip as well. As both silver and blue eyes widened, Ruby immediately pulled away from the bemused heiress.

"Ah-ah Weiss, um, I didn't s-see you th-there, heh, um-"

"Just shut up and get off of me," she said dangerously. Ruby stood and pulled Weiss up with her, who delicately smoothed out her clothes before turning to Ruby with a frightening fire in her eyes. "We are never going to speak of this again. Are we clear?" Ruby nodded nervously in response, and, satisfied, Weiss strode past her.

Ruby watched the other girl walk out of sight, and touched her lips, half-smiling to herself. "Well, I guess I got my first kiss after all."

* * *

**Short, but it's a two-parter; check for part 2 over the next few days! I know I'm taking a risk with this head-canon, but I'm really not too fazed; if you'll see the summary, you'll notice it says, among other things "...not necessarily canon-compliant." I'm using that to my advantage!**

**Additionally, I'm gracious for the reception so far. Any feedback? Very much appreciated, if you feel like it!**

******(EDIT:13/09): Following Episode 9, I re-wrote certain small details.**

**(EDIT: 11/11): After I wrapped on Season One, I decided to revisit all the installments; cleaned up a little.**

**...Truly Yours, Kalico.**


	3. Kiss, II

**Part II, enjoy!**

* * *

"Hey Weiss! Don't walk away from me! I know you heard me!"

"…"

"Weissssssss!"

"…What?!"

"You've been avoiding me."

"Well, 'avoiding' is such a harsh…accurate word…"

"Weiss!"

"Hey, maybe I just wanted to spend some time by myself. Especially, considering lately, certain _things…_with certain _people…_"

"Okay, look, I'm sorry about what happened out in the hall the other day-"

"But I'm pretty sure I did say that we don't ever need to speak about it again."

"-I just got really mad-"

"…So I guess now we're speaking about it…"

"-I can't believe Yang was ripping on me like that! That was exactly why I never told her before!"

"Please. You're trying to become a Huntress, and that makes you sensitive?"

"Yeah, okay, I see _that_, but I mean, you can't just start coming at me out of nowhere because I never kissed anyone!"

"Well, it didn't stop you from coming at me out of nowhere and...kissing me, in the hall."

"That wasn't my fault! It was an accident! I didn't know you were right outside! I could've walked into anybody."

"Yes, the realm of probabilities would suggest the potential of such an event. But, the reality is, you walked into me, and it took you long enough to get off of me anyway."

"Hey! Haven't you ever heard of shock?"

"Of course I have. I felt shocked enough when it happened."

"Look, I said I'm sorry! Why isn't that enough?"

"Because you're still not getting my point! We don't actually have to talk about it! Yang and Blake didn't see it, no one else saw it, and no one else is going to know. So can we just leave it there?"

"Hmm, fine...can we still be friends though?"

"Do you consider me a friend?"

"Of course I do! I think..."

"Okay then, so as a friend, we leave it there, right? We never mention it again?"

"Sure!"

"Good."

"..."

"What are you thinking so hard about?"

"Well, can I just say one more thing?"

"Hmm, okay, what's that?"

"You have _really_ soft lips…"

"…"

* * *

**I hope you were able to follow that. I wrote it from a challenge which said to write a fic with only dialogue, but I still think it turned out okay. Um, I'll be working on chapters all week, but I don't know how many you'll see. I have a really good one lined up, but I need to vary the themes and characters in every chapter. For more you can keep posted on my profile page.**

**Anyway, feedback is golden, and duct tape is silver...blah blah blah rhyming words...**

**(EDIT: 11/11): After I wrapped on Season One, I decided to revisit all the installments; cleaned up a little.**

**...Truly Yours, Kalico.**


	4. Meditate

**Updating! Good morning from Australia, and to celebrate, enjoy a new chapter :)**

* * *

_...Peace…calm…serenity…_

_…Inhale…exhale…_

_…Peace...calm…serenity…_

_…Inhale…exhale…_

_…Peace…cal-_

"You!"

Blake winced, and her eyes jolted open. Of course, cosmic irony selected Weiss to interrupt her in the middle of meditation. At least if it was Ruby that interrupted her, she'd at least get an embarrassed and awkward apology from it. But Weiss? No chance.

"Can I help you, Princess?" Yang as well. That just brought the promise of more loud noise to distract Blake.

"I hope you can explain this?" Weiss requested as she most likely showed something to Yang; thankfully for Blake, she had her back turned to both of them; she wasn't able to witness the exchange, but listening to it made for a just as entertaining venture.

"Oh, haha, I see you found my message," Yang chuckled, "What do you think?"

"What do I think?! Oh, I'll show you what I think!" Weiss shouted.

Blake paid close attention to the sounds that immediately followed. In quick succession, she heard paper being torn and crumpled, glass being broken, fast footsteps heading from the dorm room, and Yang cackling like a madwoman. Following that was the sound of Weiss breathing rather heavily.

Blake still had her back to the scene. "Was it something she said?"

"Huh? Oh, it's you. I didn't see you there."

"I know you didn't, oddly enough." Blake turned on the space on the floor where she was sitting, and faced Weiss, who looked oddly flustered and unkempt. "What's up?" she asked

Weiss wordlessly lobbed a balled-up piece of paper in her direction.

Blake smoothed the paper out on her lap, and immediately found herself wishing that she hadn't. A crude, yet _detailed_ caricature of what she supposed was Weiss stared back at her. Anyone would argue that it looked just like the real Weiss, except that the real Weiss didn't have the features of a fairy-tale witch, and the real Weiss definitely didn't have 'boiling small children in a cauldron' listed as a personal hobby…as far as Blake knew.

The amber-eyed girl swallowed imperceptibly, and tossed the paper away. "So, what's the problem?"

Weiss gaped at her. "Did you not just see that?!"

"Of course I did. In fact, I now wish there was a way to physically 'un-see' something. But what interests me is how much attention you're investing in petty, juvenile, yet still harmless behaviour."

"I have to pay attention! How am I supposed to take her seriously as a teammate if I can't take her seriously as a human being? Look, you're her partner; what do you think?"

"Yang's behavior is purely on her shoulders, and in any case, it's simply her definition of a 'coping mechanism'. You've seen what happens when she gets, to use a clinical term, 'pissed'. But despite that, she isn't the problem here. The problem is that you're taking everything far _too_ seriously. It's not surprising to me that you weren't made leader of the team; you lack the mental balance required for such a weighty endeavor."

Weiss blinked once. "So, aside from insulting me and my abilities, do you have any _real_ advice to offer?"

"Hm, well that depends on what you're after."

Weiss narrowed her eyes and stepped over to where Blake was sitting. "Okay, um…well, how about yourself?"

Blake looked up at Weiss. "What are you inquiring?"

"Well, you look pretty self-controlled, relaxed, you know?" Weiss stated, and sat down on a bed. "How do you do it?"

Blake half-smiled, and motioned to a space on the floor across from her.

Weiss sat cross-legged on the floor, opposite Blake. "Are you sure?" she frowned. "I don't know anything about mystical Zen powers."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Blake warned her with a wry smile. "Now, since prehistory, and specifically before what we know to be the Common Era, meditation has been used as a spiritual exercise. Of course, in those particular times, meditation took the form of religious rituals. But the more commonly-accepted use of the word refers to a practice in which an individual trains the mind, in order to build internal life energy, or develop a better understanding of oneself, as well as the people around them. Myself, specifically? Meditation has been part of my life since as long as I can remember. When I meditate, I look towards focus, anticipation, awareness, calm, centering my being, and a host of other things. I'm not lying when I admit that my senses are keener than the norm; meditation is a big part of it. Any questions?"

"…Do you always talk so much when you get on a roll?" Weiss asked amusingly.

Blake sighed. "I'll assume that you paid attention to everything I said, then…"

"Of course I did," Weiss said, with a wave of her hand. "Lead the way."

Blake nodded once. "Very well. Close your eyes." Weiss did so, and Blake did the same. "As you begin to fall into a deeper understanding of yourself, embrace whatever troubles you, and those clouds will dissipate. At the same time, take note of what your senses and your instincts tell you.

"Now, relax…and focus…"

* * *

Yang hummed quietly to herself as she strolled in, and halted when she took in the scene. Blake and Weiss were both sitting cross-legged on the floor opposite each other, with their eyes closed, looking contemplative, and at peace.

_They're…meditating?_ Yang pondered. _This is definitely an interesting development. Well, Blake, not so much, because everyone knows that she meditates every day, but Weiss? I wonder…._

Weiss had never felt such a sense of harmony in her life. She opened her eyes ever so slightly and watched Blake. The girl was wearing a content expression as she explored the depths of her consciousness. She looked so peaceful to Weiss. It was something she had never really seen before. Normally, Blake held an impassive, yet calm attitude toward everything. She would always hold her cards close to the vest, never letting anything slip. Now, though, she looked almost blissful. It was like she was remembering a happier time, before the world had done whatever it had to her.

"Yeah, happier times." Blake broke the silence.

Weiss shook her head, but didn't move otherwise. "How do you always do that?"

Blake simply grinned back, and Weiss suddenly felt…_something _nagging in the back of her mind.

Instinctively she shot her left hand up behind her head to catch a round object that had been hurtling toward her. In a single movement, she dropped the object into her right hand and threw it back over her shoulder to whence it came.

Yang looked at the apple in her hand. She'd been expecting to hear a cry of pain, followed by a yell of anger. What she hadn't expected was for Weiss to catch the apple. She also hadn't expected Weiss to throw the apple back at her. _And with heat, too. _She winced, rubbing her hand. She then stared at the heiress, who had quickly settled back into her meditative state. She tutted under her breath and smirked curiously, taking a large bite of the apple as she walked out again.

Weiss sensed that Yang had once again left. "Meditation, huh?" she smiled. "Yeah, I think I can get used to this."

"Sure," Blake laughed gently. "As long as you don't use any 'mystical Zen powers' on Ruby and Yang, like I know you're planning."

Weiss stared back, dumbfounded. "Seriously, _how_ do you do that?"

* * *

**Enjoy that? Good. At this point, I do have to reiterate that there is no real chronological order with these, aside from the two-parters. That said, this chapter is obviously at a point when Weiss and Blake are cool, but Yang and Weiss aren't so much.**

**I don't know how soon another chapter will go up. I simply just have to keep working. ****In the meantime, be sure to hit up my profile for updates on whatever's happening. Other than that, leave feedback, if that will float your boat (terrible phrases...)**

******(EDIT:13/09): Following Episode 9, I re-wrote certain small details.**

**(EDIT: 11/11): After I wrapped on Season One, I decided to revisit all the installments; cleaned up a little.**

**...Truly Yours, Kalico.**


	5. Investigation

**By far, the longest of these I've done! Enjoy :)**

* * *

"This has to be one of the _worst _days of my life!"

Yang and Blake looked toward the doorway as Ruby marched into the dorm, with a dark look on her face.

Yang broached the topic. "What's wrong, sis?"

"A horrible and disturbing evil has come down on our world! What makes people so messed up that they can actually do something like this to me?!"

Yang walked over and placed her hands on her younger sister's shoulders, directing her to sit down on a bed. "Slow down. From the top."

Ruby breathed deeply. "Well, do you remember our last mission, when I helped out Weiss?"

Yang thought for a second. "Yeah," she nodded. "You covered her when she was trying to get to a higher vantage point, and then you came in and drew the attack when she got boxed in. She was really off her game that day. "

Ruby nodded. "Mm-hm. And when we got back two days ago, she bought me something to say 'thank you'?"

"Yeah, I-wait a minute," Yang shook her head. "That's what this is about? That fancy cookie she got you? The one you kept rambling on about but wouldn't actually show us for whatever reason?"

Ruby frowned. "It's not just a cookie!" she remonstrated. "It's a Giant Triple-Chocolate Caramel-Centered Cookie! It's one of the rarest cookies in all of Vytal! Weiss had to pull some serious strings to get it for me! And now someone's stolen it!" she ended loudly, allowing an uneasy silence to pass.

"So," Blake finally spoke up. "Someone stole your rare, fancy cookie."

"Exactly. And since Weiss isn't around for the next week or so, I have to take action of my own."

"Hang on, just what are you going to do?" Yang asked.

Ruby began to stroke Crescent Rose, which was sheathed beside her. "Well, dear sister, I'm going to investigate! Whoever did this will have hell to pay when I find them!" she stood up. "Now I'm going to ask around, look for evidence, you know, like the police do!"

Yang smiled nervously. "Yeah, so, you go and do that."

Yang closed the door behind Ruby as she strode out, and turned to Blake, suddenly looking stricken. "Blake! I have a _really _bad feeling!"

"Why's that?" Blake asked, somewhat perturbed by her partner's unease.

"I think I might have eaten her cookie!"

Blake's eyes widened. "What?!"

Yang shook her head. "Quick, just tell me what happened yesterday!"

"Yesterday…a cookie…okay. Yes, you were hungry. I suggested you actually find something to eat instead of complaining about it. Then you randomly popped up with a giant cookie, and said you would feel bad eating the whole thing in front of me. So you…gave me half…" realization dawned on Blake. "Terrific…"

"Oh, this is bad!" Yang started pacing frantically. "What are we going to do?"

"I…don't know…" Blake said, now beginning to get worried.

Yang gave Blake a hopeful look. "Well, maybe, she won't find out, huh? I mean, there's always that chance, right?"

Blake bit her lip. "I don't mean to crush your hope, but you have to remember that it was _Weiss_ who got her the cookie."

"Hmm, you're right," Yang pondered. "If it's a gift from Weiss, Ruby will keep sniffing around until it kills her."

Blake thought for a second. "You're her sister. I'd like to think that I'm her friend. Why don't we just tell her the truth?" she rationalized.

"Uh-uh," Yang shook her head. "Did you see the way she was patting her weapon? It was like a master, patting their dog of war. If we tell her, it probably won't end well for us!"

"So what do you suggest, then?" Blake reluctantly asked.

"Well, we could try to replace the cookie with some sort of substitute to buy time…actually, no. She'd be able to tell in a second…but maybe…hmm…"

Blake leaned over to the shelf and grabbed a book. "Well," she said, opening it. "Looks like you have some thinking to do."

"Excuse me!?" Yang looked affronted, and snatched the book out of her hands. "You're in on this too!"

Blake raised an eyebrow. "I didn't ask for any part of the cookie; you gave it to me."

"So? You didn't have to take it! You could've just said, 'Oh, my apologies, Yang, but I'd rather not eat such a delectable-looking cookie. Please, enjoy it yourself'," she mimicked, in a terrible, accented imitation of Blake's voice. "But no! You took it, and you thanked me! So there! You have to help me! That or face the rap with me, bunky!"

Blake pursed her lips. "I do not sound like that, and for the record, I'm still in the boat that's sailing towards the truth."

Another uneasy silence followed, with both girls staring each other down, when Ruby walked in. "You'll be glad to know that I've eliminated one suspect!" she announced proudly.

Blake took her focus off Yang, and noticed something strange on Ruby's person. "Uh, Ruby, you have scraps…of Jaune's clothing hanging off your scythe…"

"Hm?" Ruby looked herself over. "Oh, yeah, I guess I got a bit carried away giving Crescent Rose a tour of the dorm room over there…"

Yang and Blake glanced at each other anxiously.

* * *

"Blake," Ruby whispered through the still of the night. There was no response, the only sound coming through the dark that of Yang muttering to herself softly and unintelligibly in her usual deep sleep. Ruby tried again. "Blake!" she whispered, more forcefully. No response. Ruby sighed heavily and hopped out of Weiss' bed, which she was occupying in the heiress' absence. She shuffled over to Blake's bed, annoyed. "Blake, I swear, if I have to roll you over, I-" she was cut off by a finger pressed to her lips.

"You don't have to keep repeating yourself, Ruby; you've been around me long enough to know I'm a light sleeper," Blake whispered, sitting up in bed. "What do you want?"

Ruby backed away from Blake and started pacing slowly around the middle of the dorm. "I'm your friend, right?"

Blake was taken aback. "…I-um-"

Ruby paused in her tracks, and stared at the older girl. "Blake. I'm your friend, _right_?"

Blake still hesitated. "Um…y-yeah. Uh, why?"

Ruby shrugged slowly, and started sauntering towards Blake. "Oh, I was just thinking," she leaned down, so that her face was inches from Blake's. "Because you see, Blake, I have a problem. A very _big _problem," she stared into Blake's amber eyes, which she could see were nervous, and backed away again. "I was also thinking, that if my _friend_ knew something, about my _big_ problem, then I'd like to think that they would tell me," she turned away from Blake and sashayed back to Weiss' empty bed. "What do you think, Blake?"

Again, Ruby didn't get a response, but she didn't need one. She smirked as she fell back into sleep.

Blake, on the other hand, was wide-eyed in her bed, her mind racing, now no longer able to achieve sleep.

* * *

Yang headed out of class and noticed Blake walking hurriedly towards her. "Oh, heya, Blake! What's-hey!" she found herself being pulled to the side of the hall by the dark-haired girl, who pushed her up against the wall. Yang noticed that Blake looked unusually skittish, with eyes that were wild, and darting around nervously. "Blake, you look..." Yang mentally searched for positive words, and failed. "No, yeah, you look terrible. How much sleep did you get last night?"

"How much sleep? Not important," Blake brushed off the mild insult and query. "Something's wrong."

"What is it?" she asked, mildly unnerved.

Blake focused her attention on the blonde. "Ruby," that said it all. "I'm worried."

"Yeah, no, I can see that. Would you mind letting go of my arm?"

Blake let go of Yang, and took a step back. She looked lost. "How did this happen? Just yesterday, you were the one that was freaking out. Now, I'm looking over my shoulder every minute, and you seem fine. What gives?"

Yang was concerned. "Hey, believe me, I'm just as worried as you. But we can't let Ruby see that. She's young, but she's still a smart enough girl to be able to see things like that. I don't get why you're having so much trouble anyway. I mean, you're usually the one that's all like, 'Yeah, it's cool,' you know?"

"I swear, your imitations of me somehow keep getting worse," Blake muttered. "But I haven't ever been put in this position before, where I've had to lie about something like _this_ to a friend. I mean, how often do you get accused of stealing a friend's prize food?" she wrapped her arms around herself. "Look, Yang, I'm seriously considering telling her."

Yang's own eyes widened, and she quickly looked around, for the tell-tale sight of a red hood. "What?! Are you crazy?!" she whispered furiously, looking back at Blake. "You know we can't do that!"

"I also can't live with her hanging over my head every minute! You know what happens when she puts on 'the face'," Blake pointed out. "Whether we want it or not, it'll come out eventually, and I won't be able to keep from cracking! I don't want it to have to come to that!"

Yang held up her hand to silence Blake. Again, she looked around. "Okay, look, let's say we tell her the truth. What are we going to say? 'Hey Ruby, isn't it a nice day? Oh and by the way, we ate your fancy, rare, one-of-a-kind giant cookie that Weiss gave you in exchange for saving her life?'" she suggested sarcastically. "Yeah, that'll go over real well."

"Well it's better than lying to her every day!" Blake countered. "This is only day one; what happens if it stretches out to day ten, or longer?"

"All I'm saying," Yang laid her arms on the other girl's shoulders reassuringly. "Is don't worry, Blake. I got us into this, and I'll get us out."

Blake exhaled heavily and sighed. "I don't know whether to feel confident or even more worried than I am now…"

* * *

Ruby surveyed the dorm room. Yang was doing something way off in the corner, and Blake was lying on her bed, sleeping, it looked like. The red-cloaked girl stood up. "Team meeting!" she declared.

Blake jumped up, startled by the sudden disturbance, and glared at Ruby. Yang didn't move from where she was. "The whole team isn't here," the blonde pointed out.

"Team meeting, _minus one_!" Ruby emphasised. Yang got up and sat next to Blake on the latter's bed, and Ruby started pacing in front of them.

Yang cut through the silence. "Is this going to be one of those big, long filibusters?" she started to get up. "I have a paper due in a couple of days…"

"You will sit for this team meeting minus one!" Ruby shouted, and Yang sat back down. Ruby continued, "I have called this meeting to inform you of the progress I have made in my investigation."

"It's only been one day-" Yang said.

Ruby ignored her. "After carefully considering all the available evidence, and taking the appropriate statements-"

"What statements?" Yang interrupted again.

"-I have come to the conclusion that I have been looking in the wrong direction this whole time!"

Yang shut up, and both girls visibly tensed where they were sitting.

Ruby, on a tear, didn't notice the movement. "Now, I realized, and now know for a fact that there were only four people that knew that I even had the cookie; me, Weiss, and you two," Ruby paused on that note, and glanced at her two teammates sitting in front of her. She continued, "Weiss has been away on special assignment ever since we got back, so unless she can teleport, it's not her. I know that it's not me, either, because then I wouldn't be going on about it, would I?"

Yang took this moment to interrupt again. "What exactly are you implying?" she asked, crossing her arms.

Ruby didn't back down. "Well, I had to think about it; it wasn't Weiss, and it definitely wasn't me. Let's see, who does that leave? Oh, that's right!" she pointed at both of them. "Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long!"

Yang stood up. "I still don't like what you're insinuating, little sis."

"One of you took my fancy cookie!" Ruby yelled.

Yang did her best to look insulted. "I'm offended that you would even suggest that _your own sister_ would _do_ something like that-"

"Stop!" Blake stood up between the two of them. "Stop _now_. I can't let this happen."

Yang glared at Blake and her interference. "Blake! What are you doing? I've got this!"

Blake gave her a withering look. "No offence, Yang, but it's clear that you don't exactly fit the description of 'diplomatic negotiator', and if this was your plan, then I hope you know that it was a terrible one," Blake turned to Ruby, and put a consoling hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Ruby, we both ate your giant cookie."

Ruby instantly went from angry to her usual self. "I know," she shrugged.

"You know?!" Blake and Yang exclaimed simultaneously.

Ruby shrugged again. "Well, it was pretty obvious, wasn't it? I'd have to be a real moron to have not figured it out from the beginning, huh?"

Yang shook her head. "But how did you figure that it was both of us, and not just one of us?"

Ruby shrugged for a third time. "I didn't. You just told me." Yang frowned, and pretended to slap the back of Blake's head.

Blake ignored the gesture. "So, you're not mad at us for taking your rare cookie that Weiss gave you for saving her life?"

Ruby waved off her concern. "No way! I mean, sure, maybe I was a little annoyed at first, but hey, it's not a big deal. It's not like Vale will explode if I don't get my cookie. But if it makes you feel better, I forgive you, Blake." Ruby smiled and hugged Blake, who looked relieved, if anything.

Yang took a second to process what she'd just heard. "Hang on, 'I forgive you, Blake'?! What about me?"

"Blake actually came out and told the truth." Ruby pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but I…um…" Yang hesitated. "Blake, what did I do that can help me out here?"

"I'm not willing to use enough focus to dredge the depths of my mind for an answer to that." Blake answered monotonously.

Yang narrowed her eyes at her. "Well, it's nice to see you're behaving normally again," she quipped sarcastically.

Ruby grinned. "I'm just joking, Yang," she moved over to hug Yang. "I forgive you too."

An easy silence pervaded, until Blake noticed something important. "Uh, Ruby," she tapped the younger girl's shoulder. "What are you going to do about this when Weiss gets back?"

Ruby's shrugs seemed the order of the day. "Like I said, it's not a big deal."

"No, no, not the cookie," Blake shook her head. "I meant, what are you going to do when Weiss finds out you've been sleeping in her bed ever since she left?"

Ruby's cheeriness vanished, replaced by a blank look. "Um…"

* * *

**Did you like that? I'm glad, because it's the only update you'll be getting from me this week, I'm afraid. Full courseloads, studying, stuff like that really has an impact on writing output. But don't worry, I'll keep working at it, and I'll keep you people posted on my profile.**

**I don't know how this will go, but I am going to open up an avenue here: I'm willing to consider requests and have prompts suggested for these chapters now. It's not that I have a shortage of ideas; I have plenty, but I figure it might be interesting to see what I might have missed, or not given much consideration previously.**

**In the meantime, feedback is appreciated :)**

**(EDIT: 11/11): After I wrapped on Season One, I decided to revisit all the installments; cleaned up a little.**

**...Truly Yours, Kalico.**


	6. Smile

**New installment! Enjoy the ShipHinting you may see :)**

* * *

Yang felt her rage subside, and looked over to her new partner, who simply looked away and smiled coolly.

Yang smirked. "I could've taken him."

Blake rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you could have."

Yang took a moment to size up the dark-haired girl. There was something about her she liked. She couldn't really put her finger on it, but _something…_just felt different about Blake compared to the previous night in the ballroom. Maybe it was just because Ruby wasn't around, and Blake wasn't trying to get rid of them by hiding in a book. But whatever it was, Yang liked it. She'd found the right partner.

Blake noticed Yang staring at her intently, and sighed inwardly. _Well, at least she's a great fighter… _she mentally reassured herself. Breaking the quasi-standoff, she turned around and started walking towards the mass of trees that stood before them. She looked back over her shoulder. "You coming, or are you just going to keep undressing me with your eyes?"

"Please," Yang snorted and quickly joined her. "Don't flatter yourself. I was just, you know…"

Blake raised her eyebrow. "Sizing me up?"

"Well…"

"Checking me out, even?"

Yang laughed nervously. "Well, you're my partner now, for the next four years, and…" she trailed off, now wishing to move off the topic as quickly as possible.

Blake, however, felt like seizing this rare opportunity to unnerve someone, and was unrelenting. She moved to block Yang's path, with an almost mocking grin on her face. "'And' what? What are you thinking? What strange, uninhibited thoughts are running rampant through that head of yours?"

"I'm moving on from this conversation now," Yang concluded, and walked on past Blake, who just chuckled softly, having succeeded in doing something that she didn't get to do quite often enough.

* * *

The footfalls of the two partners on the grass and twigs was the only noise that broke the silence, an eerie quiet that had settled in between them as they walked along, inching further and further towards their eventual goal.

"Can I ask you something?" Yang eventually queried, neither her nor Blake breaking stride.

Blake considered it. "I have no doubt that you're going to anyway, regardless of how I might feel about it."

"Um…" Yang blinked in confusion. "I heard 'yes' in there, so let me ask this: you know back in that mini-clearing, where I was all raging and pissed off, and then you came in out of nowhere, and you were all like, 'Sup, I'm Blake'?"

"…I don't think I remember it quite the way you do, but sure, why?"

"Well, why did you?"

Blake frowned. "Why did I what?"

"You know," Yang prompted. "You could have chosen any one of us to partner up with, so why did you choose me?"

Blake carefully picked her response. "Well, I was watching you fighting back there, and as soon as I was certain you wouldn't be a liability that gets me killed in combat, I made my move."

"Why thank you, how flattering," Yang muttered sardonically. She paused and glanced at Blake. "Really-"

"Yes," Blake responded, a little too quickly. "Come on, we have to keep moving."

Yang narrowed her eyes, but decided to let it go nonetheless.

* * *

"So, you know how you did that really badass smile after you not-so-randomly showed up out of nowhere?"

Blake seemed taken aback by that. "Um…no?"

"Yeah! You know, you turned your head to the side, and then you were all like, 'hmm'," Yang made a facial impression of Blake, posing ridiculously.

Blake laughed. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Yang still refused to back down. "I know that you do! Come on, what did you see there? What were you smiling at?"

"You're not being any clearer-"

Yang blocked her path and cut her off, with a calculating look on her face. "Remember, Blake, I wear glove-looking things which shoot high-caliber rounds, and I have a sister who uses a giant sniper-scythe."

"Are you threatening me to divulge information which is completely foreign to me?" Blake asked with an amused look on her face.

Yang moved out of her path. "Nope," she cheerily replied. "Just talking about weapons with my new partner!"

Blake kept walking. "Hmm, good."

"And," Yang pressed. "Maybe if my new partner tells me what in the world she was smiling at, I'll let her off the forest floor!" With her last words, she lunged at Blake, catching the raven-haired girl by surprise. They both fell, and Yang positioned herself on top of Blake, pinning her arms to the ground.

Blake struggled against the blonde's grip, but to no avail. "Yang, let me up, now," she warned slowly, danger dripping off of her voice.

Yang played herself as oblivious to the threat. "I'm sorry, did you say something? I'm afraid I've gone temporarily deaf, and it seems that the only way my hearing can be unlocked is for my new partner Blake to tell me what she was doing smiling randomly off into the distance," she said unnecessarily loudly.

"You're calling me out on a facial expression which I may or not have performed? The single most universally-common facial expression known to, well, everyone?"

"I am, Blakey."

"Don't call me that," Blake shook her head disbelievingly. "I can already see that you're not going to let this go, but I implore you to try anyway."

"Hmm, let me think," Yang appeared to ponder. "No!"

Blake tried to struggle out again, but Yang's grip was like a steel clamp on her arms. Realising very quickly that physical force would be useless, she tried a different tack.

"Fine," she sighed. "Do you really want to know why I was smiling back in the clearing?"

"Yes, please." Yang nodded.

"Okay then. Just come closer."

"Uh, what?" Yang looked puzzled.

Blake rolled her eyes. "I can't just blurt it out, now, can I?" she hissed. "Who knows might hear?"

Yang's eyes lit up. "Secrets, huh? Fine then, I'll play," she leaned closer to Blake's face, and turned her head to the side.

At the same time, Blake grinned. This was her chance. "Okay," she began, slowly. She leaned up towards Yang, and whispered softly. As Yang listened intently, her eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped. She sprung up in shock, blushing furiously, allowing Blake to break free of her hold.

Yang gawked at Blake, her eyes and cheeks burning red. _"What was that?!"_

Blake brushed herself off nonchalantly. "What was what?"

"But you-you just-you can't just-"

"Are you going to finish any of these questions?" Blake pointed out.

Yang finally managed to gather her thoughts. "Where did all of _that_ come from?!"

Blake held a magnificent poker face. "I still don't know what you're talking about."

Yang's shoulders slumped and her eyes faded back to lavender as she shook her head. "Never mind."

Blake looked satisfied. "Good. Now, shall we continue with our mission? We have a temple to find."

Yang watched her walk off further ahead, and a mental image of her partner's…narrative…popped into her head, causing her face to turn scarlet again. "This isn't over!" she shouted after Blake. "I will find out why you were smiling back there!"

* * *

**I know it seems rushed, but this was as much an experiment as anything; writing a chapter which addressed qualities of the show that broke the Fourth Wall, such as Blake's "down the barrel of the camera" smile in the episode this installment refers to. I also wrote this entirely from a one-word prompt: smile. I saw that word, and I instantly got to writing. No outline needed.**

**In the end, I'm happy with it, and that's what really matters, not to sound narcissistic or anything, but in the end, it's me writing these.**

**As for what Blake said to Yang, I'll let your imaginations run rampant on that one ;) I did say ShipHinting. But not shipping. Don't confuse the two. Read into their actions how you will, but I'd just like to think that they immediately hit it off. *shrug***

**I hope you enjoyed :)**

**(EDIT: 11/11): After I wrapped on Season One, I decided to revisit all the installments; cleaned up a little.**

**...Truly Yours, Kalico.**


	7. Moon

**Enjoy this new installment :)**

* * *

Ruby yawned, and glanced up from the notes on her lap to the white-haired girl standing over her. "Weiss, what time is it?"

Weiss responded by pushing Ruby's head down back towards her lap. "Stupid question. Keep working." She walked over to a corner, careful not to wake the sleeping Blake and Yang.

Ruby went back to reading her notes with mild frustration. She had a theory assessment to complete in the morning, and in the infinite wisdom of a typical 15-year-old, she'd left studying until the night before. It seemed Weiss had wanted to help her out as well, which was why she was allowed to sit down and work on the older girl's bed.

But for Ruby, it wasn't working. "Argh! This sucks!"

"Shh!" Weiss glared at her, and looked meaningfully at the two filled beds by her side.

Ruby looked sheepish. "Sorry."

Weiss started walking back over to the bed, with her arms full. "Love it or hate it, Ruby-"

"I hate it."

"-studying is an integral part of life as a student, and, no matter how skilled you may be in the field, you can't graduate from Beacon as a huntress unless you excel in your studies as well." She dropped another stack of books on the bed next to Ruby, as if to emphasise the point.

"Well, you're a lot of help, aren't you?" Ruby asked sardonically. "Giving me lectures every minute. Why am I even letting you help me with this?"

"Excuse me, you specifically asked me earlier this afternoon to help you study."

"I don't remember that."

Weiss put on her hands on her hips. "'Hey Weiss? You remember the other night, where you said you would be the best teammate ever? Do you think you can help me study for this super important theory assessment that I _accidentally _left to the last minute?'" she imitated in Ruby's voice.

"I don't sound like that!" Ruby protested, in the exact same tone as the imitation. Weiss folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. Ruby glanced away, "…Never mind."

Weiss pressed further. "And I said, 'Sure Ruby, I'll be glad to help you. I'll tell you what, you can study on my bed, so you're not working on that suspended death trap you call a top bunk. How does that sound?'"

Ruby held up her hands. "Okay, you've made your point."

"Mm-hm," Weiss picked up a notebook, and started looking for more questions. "Okay, now, which is the more powerful: dust powder or dust crystal?"

"Dust powder is more powerful and more potent, while dust crystals are safer but less powerful." Ruby recited.

"Good, next question-"

The younger girl made a growling sound in the back of her throat. "Can we take a break? We've been at this for hours now! Plus, these questions aren't really worth worrying over that much."

"You can't afford to take a break, Ruby," Weiss chided softly. "And while these may not be the most…imaginative questions, the basic principles behind them could mean the difference between life and death in the field."

"Fine..." Ruby shrugged. "Hit me."

Weiss went back to the book. "The proper handling of dust products is defined by several universal guidelines. List six of these."

Ruby focused. "Do not shake dust products, avoid dropping dust products, avoid sneezing on exposed dust-"

Weiss chuckled in fond nostalgia.

Ruby smiled, before continuing. "-keep dust away from flammable sources, avoid mixing different types of dust into the same container, and keep dust away from children."

"Very good." Weiss went back to flipping through her notebook for more questions.

Ruby stood up and walked over to the dorm room window, situated above their large bookshelf. The curtains were drawn and moonlight was spilling into the room, illuminating all the surfaces and painting them in a pale glow.

Ruby leaned on the bookshelf and gazed out the window. "Hey, Weiss, you know the moon?"

"I know of the moon," Weiss answered without looking up. "Why?"

"Well, have you ever thought about why it scatters and breaks apart like that?" She pointed towards the fragments, which were separated and scattered away from the currently crescent-shaped moon.

"Really, Ruby? Obsessing over unnecessary, minute details while you still have a stack or work to do? Surely you're not that easily distracted." Weiss chastised.

Ruby appeared lost in thought. "I know, but…I haven't thought about it until now. It's really interesting…"

Weiss shook her head and dragged Ruby away from the window. As she did, she snuck a glance of her own at the shattered moon, suddenly curious herself. _D__amn it, Ruby…_ she thought. She sat Ruby back down on the bed. "Uh…just keep, uh, going over your notes…"

Ruby sighed and gathered several sheets of paper onto her lap. Weiss stood over her again, but now she found that her attention was being drawn over towards the window. _No, stay on track, Weiss, _she urged, but to no avail. _Nope, she's got me again._

Weiss glanced at Ruby, who was engaged in her notes, and casually sauntered back over towards the window. Ruby looked up and saw Weiss with her arms folded, staring out of the window, and smirked. She looked back down at her notes and frowned in concern. "Hey, Weiss, I don't think this is right…Weiss?"

Weiss' attention was fully invested on the happenings up in the night sky. "Why is it shattered like that?" she muttered to herself.

"Weiss?"

Weiss waved her off. "Yeah, hang on a sec, Ruby, I need a moment here…"

Ruby snorted in derisive amusement, and laid back in Weiss' bed, placing her notes down by her side.

"I mean, why doesn't it just wax and fade in a continuing cycle?"

Ruby now watched Weiss, having abandoned her studying for the time being to watch Weiss' mind being blown, which, in her opinion, was far more interesting. Now came the matter of how long it would take to become infuriating.

* * *

Turns out it took roughly a quarter of an hour.

"Weiss?" Ruby whined. "It's been something like 15 minutes, and you still haven't moved a muscle from that damn window. I've been doing some thinking, and I never thought I'd say this, but can we actually get back to work? This is _my_ grade, after all."

Weiss was the one lost in thought now. "It shatters and reforms…that seems unnecessarily excessive…"

Ruby threw her arms up in exasperation. "What do you think it means?" she irritably asked from the bed.

Weiss couldn't take her eyes off the moon. "I…don't know…it has to be a sign of…something…like some greater meaning...the patterns in the scatter…it all has to mean something…"

Ruby had had enough. She moved off the bed, and joined Weiss' side at the window. "Weiss, look at the moon, and how it appears to us in the night," she said. "Perhaps we should factor it in differently. Perhaps we should consider the possibility that life isn't black and white, or even shades of grey. Maybe there is a greater meaning to everything that we do in our lifetime, or maybe our greatest accomplishments appear as nothing more than a blip on one of the largest canvases in the existence of space and time…"

Weiss stared at Ruby, dumbfounded. Ruby caught her gaze. "Or maybe it all means absolutely nothing!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands on Weiss' shoulders.

The sudden action caused Weiss to stumble. "What are you saying?"

Ruby walked back to the bed. "I'm saying that I'm sorry I ever brought it up, I only said it to distract you so I could take a break, and I'd actually like to get back to work now."

Weiss wasn't convinced. "Why do you want to get back to work?"

Ruby gaped at her. "So I don't get chewed out in the morning when I take this assessment, because if that happens, I'll make sure you get chewed out afterwards! You're supposed to be the one keeping this study train on track, Weiss!"

Weiss pointed an arm at the window. "But…the moon…"

"Screw the moon! I don't care anymore! How about helping me pass this thing? Sound good?"

"…Hmm..."

"…Do I have to hit you?"

Weiss contemplated her options. "No…" Weiss grumbled. "I suppose get back to helping you…"

"If you want to talk about it sometime, I'm available," Ruby suggested, relieved.

"No, let's just get this over with."

"Really?"

"Well, the sooner we finish up, the sooner I can have my bed back," Weiss supposed. "And then I can get back to more important issues."

"…Like the moon?"

"Shut up. It's your fault."

"Hey, if I pass this thing, I'll spend as much time with you talking about the moon as you want, Weiss."

Weiss looked strangely hopeful. "Would you...really do that, Ruby?"

"Mm," Ruby got up and steered Weiss over to the bed, with an odd sense of déjà vu. "Work to do first."

The two girls sat opposite each other on Weiss' bed, and pulled together a sheaf of notes each.

Ruby watched Weiss pick up her notebook, when a thought occurred to her. "Hey, Weiss?"

Weiss looked up. "Hm?"

"Do you think we were quiet enough to keep Blake and Yang asleep?"

Before Weiss had the chance to reply, they were bombarded with pillows from the other side of the room-

"AH!"

"WHA-"

_THUD! THUMP!_

-and were sent falling from the bed.

Ruby groaned, and found herself face-down on the floor. She turned to Weiss, who was lying on her back with her legs still perched up on the bed. "…Weiss?"

"Yes, Ruby?"

"I think we might have woken them up."

"Mm-hm."

* * *

**There it is. Another fourth-wall discussion, but perhaps not as prevalent as the previous installment. I hope you enjoyed Briefly-Philosophical Ruby, as well as Mindblown Weiss.**

**I don't know what I'll attempt after this installment. ****Maybe another two-parter.**

**Or maybe, I could try...hmm, actually, I don't want to get your hopes up, in case it doesn't work. _That _particular idea hinges on a lot of canonical elements.**

**I'd say feedback is appreciated, but I swear, I leave some contrived variation of that message on all my stories, not just this project...gets annoying for me to keep parroting every time I post a chapter...but I digress...I suppose...**

**(EDIT: 11/11): After I wrapped on Season One, I decided to revisit all the installments; cleaned up a little.**

**...Truly Yours, Kalico.**


	8. Letter

**New installment! "Sorry for the delay!" the writer apologised sheepishly.**

* * *

This _had _to be some sort of sick or twisted joke.

It had already been yet another long day in a continuing chronology of long days, and all Weiss had wanted was to fall in her bed and sleep out the beckoning evening. But that clearly wasn't to be; upon entering the dorm room, she noticed that some thoughtful soul had left a letter for her on her bed.

Weiss read the letter over and over again, silently mouthing the words scrawled on the paper, the anger slowly growing. That's what she had been doing ever since she picked it up. The fact that someone had gone trespassing in her team's dorm room was bad enough, but the content of the letter knocked that out of the park. She ran her eyes down the letter once more, making sure to focus on every word;

_ "Hey there Snow Angel,_

_"You don't know who's writing this, and I'm not going to tell you. If you actually could figure out who is writing this, well that would be a reaction definitely worth watching. Of course, I could always just tell you in person and watch the look on your face, but, no; this is more fun._

_"I've been watching you ever since you came to Beacon, and let's just say, there's just something about a cute heiress that gets me going. And when you're in action with that sword? Mmm, I can barely contain myself. I hope we can talk soon, as something, hm, __other __than friends._

_ "An admirer, and believe me, a lot closer than you think."_

Weiss' hands balled into fists as she thought to herself furiously,_ Ridiculous drivel, every word. Especially the line about "that sword". It's a rapier, for goodness' sake…be specific!_

She quickly relaxed her fists and took a deep breath to compose herself. She folded the letter in her hand and strode out of the dorm room; she had some investigating to do.

* * *

Weiss was hurrying down the corridor when she noticed the Jaune, the scraggly fool that she was after. He was in conversation with someone, but ended it quickly when he noticed Weiss stomping towards him with purpose and murder in her eyes.

Jaune quickly swung on the charm, in an attempt to defuse the situation. "Well well, I knew you'd come back for me eventually."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "I'll cut to the chase," she said, and held up the letter. "I appreciate that you have some unhealthy obsession with myself and other girls, but I _don't_ appreciate the creepy, inappropriate, anonymous letter."

Jaune's brow furrowed, and his expression shifted to one of confusion. He pointed to the letter. "Um, but, I didn't write any letter."

Weiss narrowed her eyes at him, and briefly analysed his reaction. She wanted to believe that he was lying, simply so that she could move to interrogating him, but from the way he reacted, she immediately knew he was telling the truth. She thought to herself in mild disappointment, _He's right. He didn't have anything to do with this._

Frowning, she turned and began to walk away. "I suppose if you were going to write me a letter, you'd probably have your name all over it, huh?" she jabbed, in parting.

She barely heard him call out after her; "Wait, do you want me to write you a letter? 'Cause…I'll do that, if you want!"

* * *

Weiss decided that sleep would be now or never, and started heading back, when she noticed and walked up to someone else who might have answers.

"Hi, uh, Ren…" she began awkwardly, earning a wordless stare from him.

Weiss decided to forge on anyway, and held up the letter. "You didn't write this, by any chance?" she watched his face carefully, but it was like trying to look for a crack in a steel wall.

The heiress sighed internally, knowing that continuing this foolish exercise in futility wasn't going to get her anywhere. "….Um, never mind." she trudged off once again, leaving a perplexed Ren behind her.

* * *

Weiss knew sleep was out of the question now. She had found the other three girls sitting together in the dorm room, and now paced in front of them while they sat, a little weirded-out, on the one bed.

"Okay," she finally began, and held up the letter. "Did any of you see who put this letter in my room?"

She got another wordless stare, this time coming from Blake, and straight denials from Ruby and Yang.

"What is it?" Ruby asked.

Weiss was taken aback, and blanched, almost as if she hadn't been expecting such a rudimentary question. "Nothing!" she said rather prissily, after a slight hesitation.

Yang leaned over and whispered into Ruby's ear. Weiss managed to catch scraps of what she was saying: "…secrets…Weiss…something _really private_…" Ruby snickered and Yang smiled.

"Argh!" Weiss turned on her heel and stormed out. After a brief silence punctuated by bewilderment, Yang spoke loud enough for the remaining girls in the room to hear, "So, what do you think was in the letter?"

Ruby shrugged. "I don't know, but it looks like it freaked Weiss out, which really says something."

The turning of a page preceded Blake's answer. "It's an anonymous love letter."

"Hmm," Yang looked at her curiously. "Did you do that creepy thing you do where you can tell what's up with someone?" she asked.

Blake frowned and glanced up from her book. "Creepy?"

"Heh, well, um," Yang laughed nervously. "Not that you're, um, 'creepy', or anything, hehe…"

Blake glowered at Yang, but turned her eyes back to her book anyway. "No."

Ruby shook her head. "So, how do you know what it is?"

Blake turned another page. "I wrote it."

The reactions on the faces of Ruby and Yang could best be described as a mix of shocked and mystified. Blake noticed and looked back up at them. "What?"

"Well, I guess you could say we got thrown when you essentially just said 'Yeah, I wrote Weiss a love letter.'" Yang pointed out.

Blake shrugged. "Eh, I was bored." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ruby staring at her. "What?" she repeated.

"Is it real, though? I mean, do you…um, you know?" she pressed awkwardly.

Blake blinked once, and burst out in laughter, much to the astonishment of the two sisters. "No, no, haha!" Still giggling, she closed her book and stood up, wiping her eyes. She breathed deeply. "I'm going to turn in," she sighed and said, "Read the letter for yourself, you'll see." She jumped over onto her bed on that note, leaving a stunned Yang and Ruby still trying to mentally process what just happened.

* * *

"This is Weiss' stuff! We should not be going through Weiss' stuff, Yang!" Ruby whispered anxiously.

"Oh please, what's Princess going to do?" Yang questioned disparagingly.

"I don't know! Which is why we shouldn't be doing this!"

"You worry too much. How is it you're the leader of this team?" Yang quizzed, and earned an angry glare in response. "Look, just stay cool, alright! Nothing's gonna happen. Now, just stand over by the door while I find this letter."

Ruby crossed her arms. "Why do I have to stand watch?"

Yang turned around, and laid her hands on her sister's shoulders. "Because, while you are the leader of this team, I'm still older and bigger than you, and I won't have a problem providing you with a physical reminder of the fact," she said sweetly and condescendingly. "Now, just stand over there."

"Hmph," Ruby pouted, but stood over by the door anyway. "How do I get dragged into these crazy ideas of yours?"

"Well," Yang started rifling through Weiss' things. "For starters, it was Blake's _suggestion_, not my idea. And you didn't have to come with me!"

"But I wanna see the letter!"

"Ah, well then," Yang triumphantly turned around, hoisting a piece of paper in the air, "You'll be glad you came after all!"

"What does it say? What does it say?" Ruby rushed over to Yang, who unfolded the letter carefully. She laid it out on Weiss' bed, and they silently started reading.

After about twelve seconds, Yang snorted derisively. "Okay, yeah, I see where Blake was coming from. This doesn't mean jack."

"How can you tell?"

Yang quirked her eyebrow and smirked at Ruby. "'Snow Angel'?"

* * *

**It was fun writing this chapter (as far as I can remember; I wrote it a while ago), and I hope you liked reading it just as much.**

**I have another chapter just about set to go, ETA for early next week.**

**I also have to announce that the 10th installment, the one after next, for this project will be a special one. More information on this mythical, special chapter will be disclosed on both my profile page and next week's installment, so stay tuned!**

**EDIT (18/10): Hey, you know what? Scratch the above. This special installment is dropping next week, as the 9th installment. I restructured how I'm going to schedule the next few releases, so this specially-coming one got bumped up early, because I wrote the 2.6k words for it in less than two days; started it yesterday noon, finished it this afternoon. I'm editing it over the course of the next few days, and I'll drop it early on in the coming week!**

**(EDIT: 11/11): After I wrapped on Season One, I decided to revisit all the installments; cleaned up a little.**

**...Truly Yours, Kalico.**


	9. Red

**Here is the special, "9th" installment of Different Shades! This is "Red", the first of four specialised chapters, the rest of which will be going up at other points throughout the life of this project. They will all be present-tense, and they will all be in first-person.**

**DO NOT lynch me for what you read here. The Red, White, Black and Yellow chapters will all be introspective, some more than others. If you don't want to see that, then occupy your time by reading the other eight installments in this project. That should keep you busy until installment 10 is ready to go up.**

**Without further delay, here is "Red"...**

* * *

For some reason, I feel really solemn tonight.

As I sit up on the large bookshelf inside the dorm room, I gaze absentmindedly out of the large window beside me, observing the tall spires of some of the biggest buildings in Vale, as if I expect them to silently shift around in the night while I watch. I look up towards the night sky, watching the stars and the full moon gleam down at me from high above. An audience of one, a fifteen-year old Huntress-in-training, for the best show in the skies of Vytal.

I have my sketch pad open in front of me, moving a pencil in my right hand, without looking, slowly across the page. I don't want to look at what I'm drawing, and I would struggle if I tried; the only light in this room at this time of night is the soft, pale glow coming down through the window.

I've heard people say that I'm a great artist, but it's not like I go out of my way to show off. Such compliments only ever come if people sneak up on me and watch what I'm doing.

"Did you really draw that?" was usually the first question, and it was also the one that, in this case, startled me enough to reach for my beloved Crescent Rose.

I would then immediately calm down upon realising who was asking, and I'd humbly say, "Yeah, but it's all just sketches," or something along those lines.

Then, for some random reason, the next thing that this person would tend to do would be to reach out and grab the pad to thumb through some of the other stuff I've randomly drawn over time, and they would also say something like, "This stuff is _really_ good," while they flick through. That always makes me smile happily.

I don't have to think about what I sketch; it all just randomly comes to me, and I work it onto the page. I remember when I didn't really have to think about what I was doing for anything, especially in combat; I would just rush in and take them all down. But of course, I know that that doesn't work even at the best of times.

For some reason, I feel really solemn tonight. It's like I've aged another fifteen years in the space of months.

I'll face it, this first year, not that it's even over yet, at Beacon has been really trying on everyone, not just me, and we've all had to develop differently. I tried to spend as much time learning from the other three girls as I could; they were a really good example to me of the sort of things I should do, but of course I had to grow up in my own way. Like, I realised that if I wanted to be taken seriously as a future Huntress and team leader, and I didn't want to be treated like a child all the time, I had to mature, which I suppose I did. I guess I was warned about what being a leader would eventually do to me.

Yep, not only am I part of a team, I'm also the _leader_, of all things. Lone wolves aren't welcome in a team, because they are always really hard to control; they always want to run the show their own way. I know all this because I've been like that for a long part of my life. Try and imagine how surprised I was when Professor Ozpin made me the leader of Team RWBY. A giant burden on my shoulders for four years, leading three other girls who were not only older than me, but had much more experience. Looking back, I realise that I could have started my time as team leader a lot better than I actually did; within one day, I somehow managed to tick Weiss off to the point where she firmly believed that she should have been given the role of leader, as she told me. Now _that_ really hurt me and hit hard. But we've gone past all that, and we can laugh about those sorts of things now.

I saw Weiss as a future work in progress when I first started at Beacon. I didn't handle things with her as well as I could have, and she reacted just as anyone who knows her would expect. But I quickly worked past the awkwardness and angry yelling that I associated with her during the initiation. It took advice from Professor Ozpin and Professor Port to work things out between us, but in the end, we managed to properly become friends.

I turn my head from the window to the Weiss' sleeping form facing away from me, resting peacefully in her bed, illuminated by the light streaming through the open curtains. I still remember when I accidentally scratched her own beloved weapon. I had to pull some tricks out of my sleeve to get past that incident. Making big eyes, looking like I was about to cry, putting on my most pitiful voice. Some of that was put on by me, but I was still genuinely terrified of the sort of trauma Weiss could possibly inflict, and would have inflicted upon me if Yang and Blake hadn't intervened.

For some reason, I feel really solemn tonight. The way I'm thinking about Weiss, someone might think I was about to take off into the night without warning, and without an estimated return.

A huge cloud somewhere above moves in front of the moon to dull the light. For the first time since I started drawing, I stare down at my right hand, still running the pencil across the page, and suddenly I become aware of just how dark this night is. But I keep drawing anyway; if I can draw without needing to look at the page, I don't think that losing what little light there is will be much of a concern.

The darkness, the night. Of course, this makes me naturally think of Blake. So shrouded, so mysterious she first seemed to everyone. Then we found out that she can be as much of a goofball as me and Yang at times. I dunno; maybe we've rubbed off on her. Even though we all started at Beacon a long time ago, earlier this year, Blake still manages to fly under the radar and dodge questions about her past. But it's not like she hides in a corner, flinching at the sight of the first person who approaches her. She's pretty good to talk to, and she's helped me out in a lot of ways.

I remember when I tried to join her in meditation. It was a disaster. When you think of me meditating with Blake, make sure to picture a hyperactive dog struggling to sit still while the master gets more and more frustrated. We've still had our moments, some embarrassing, some playful, and some just really sweet.

I remember a time earlier in the year when I was really feeling the "leader's burden" crushing me. It wasn't the first time, but that didn't make it any less serious for me. I felt like yelling at everyone I saw with swears; I bumped into Blake, and was about to tell her to watch where she's going with some not-so-nice choice words, when she wordlessly yanked me over and sat me down on her bed. She didn't say anything; she just sat staring at me with a small smile on her face while I got irritated very quickly at her silence. I eventually stood up to leave in blind anger, when she pulled me back down, and said one word:

"Talk."

So I did. All my anger, my frustration, everything that was ticking me off, I vented to Blake, who went silent again and continued to listen to me and smile, nodding in agreement every now and again. As it went on, I calmed down, to the point where I was able to finish venting and return her smile. I hugged her, thanked her, and I came out feeling much better. That was the last time I felt that weight on my shoulders, and I hope I remember that day for the rest of my life.

For some reason, I feel really solemn tonight. But exhaustion is slowly catching up, and while I should _probably_ go to sleep soon, I really don't want to; musing and sounding really angsty in my head isn't as bad as people make it out to be. Something new for a change to help me think.

I feel a yawn coming on, and it comes out sounding much louder than I thought it would. My right hand stops scribbling for a moment, and I get up off the bookshelf to light a candle; I don't need the light to draw, but sometimes things can happen in the darkness which are probably better left to the imagination.

I watch the flame catch on the wick from the match, and as it grows slightly larger, becoming its own flame, I can't help but be reminded of Yang. My older sister, the flame that burns bright and cuts through the darkness of the world. We've been through a _lot_ together, and I'll be the first to admit that maybe I have attachment problems when it comes to my relationship with her. But hey, I really don't care.

I remember earlier this year, when we'd literally just started at Beacon. Before we even entered the building, she ingloriously ditched me to hang out with the friends she'd met before we arrived. It was then that I had the pleasure of giving Weiss a terrible first impression of myself, and sort-of met Blake. Even after I got past all that horror, Yang still tried to help me befriend Weiss at the first assembly, which backfired again. Then later that night, she immediately dragged me over to Blake so that I might properly talk to her, which also looked like it was about crash and burn from the start. And despite the lack of interest she showed when I started to connect with Blake about books, Yang still made sure to stay involved in the conversation, which I was really grateful for. What I _wasn't _grateful for was the suffocating bear hug she wrapped me in during that conversation.

The morning after that, we spent time in the locker room, getting ready for initiation, when she again expressed her desire to practically get rid of me, by telling me that while it might be good to be on a team with her, it might also be a better idea to find my own team. She wanted me to try and "break out of my shell", which I was really not a fan of at the time, but can understand now; part of maturing is meeting and befriending different people.

If I could describe my sister in one statement to someone, I would immediately say, "She's the type of big sister who'll teach you to swim by pushing you in the water." She loves me, and I love her, and despite her trying to break me out, suggesting alternatives to being on a team with her, and the attempts to make me noticeable to anyone and everyone, I'm still glad that we're both on the same team.

For some reason, I feel really solemn tonight. It's giving way now, but still. Maybe it's because I'm thinking such heavy thoughts at what I assume is midnight, or past midnight. I'm glad I don't have any classes tomorrow, because I'm certain I wouldn't get up for any of them the way I'll be sleeping when I get around to bed.

This team is an odd bunch, me included. As individuals, we're not perfect; nowhere near it, despite what Weiss said to me once. We all have our differences, we all have our quirks which sometimes make us want to rip each other's hair out, but somehow, it all gels together nicely. To me, Team RWBY is both crazy and calm at the same time, and for some reason, we can make really great chemistry together. I don't play the leader card often, and I don't do anything ridiculous like pull rank on them or whatever, but after this first year, I feel I can lead us to do some really crazy things in the near future, without having to make commands or anything like that.

At the start of the year, I was a fifteen-year old girl getting ready to start another year at Signal Academy. Now, just months later, I'm still a fifteen-year old girl, but at Beacon Academy, part of a team with three other girls who I all love and care about. It's funny how things can change and stay the same all at once, but I don't mind. If anything, I'm feeling good all of a sudden.

I stop moving my hand, and a smile grows on my face when I look down to my sketch pad and see what I've drawn. A large, smooth but worn rock embedded in the ground, with an inscription chiselled into the face of the rock, so delicately engraved it appears barely visible against the shaded background of the rock.

As quietly as possible, I walk over to where my bed is hanging precariously over Weiss', and put the sketch pad under the pillow. I climb up into the bed and slip under the sheets, trying my best not to wake anyone up.

_This is nice_, I think to myself, _just me, my friends, and the warm…glow…_

My eyes shoot open. _Warm glow? Hang on…ah, crap!_

Of course, I forgot to put out the candle.

I roll over onto my left side, and am about to jump out so I can extinguish the flame, when I catch movement. Well, not exactly movement, but there is someone sitting up. Blake is sitting on her bed, with her legs over the edge, as if she's about to get up. She doesn't though. She's sitting still, staring at the lit candle and looking content. Mentally, I decide it's better that she doesn't know I'm awake, but I can't bring myself to close my eyes to the scene.

We're like this for at least a minute, me staring at Blake staring at a candle, when she lifts her head up and looks at me, with my eyes wide open, watching her with interest. She just smiles and walks up to my bed.

A short silence passes before I decide to break it. "Hey, Blake," I smile at her sheepishly. I wonder if she's forgiven me for kissing her that one time a while back. I regret nothing, and I ended up with a new book out of it, but still…

Smiling herself, she says, "I know what you're thinking, and don't worry about it. But believe me, I will get you back somehow, one day. I hope you're taking care of that book," she prompts, which draws a quiet chuckle from me.

She shakes her head softly, leans in and pecks me on the cheek. "Goodnight, Ruby," she whispers before she turns away, blows out the candlelight, and slides back into her own bed.

In no time at all, her eyes are closed and she's asleep again. I turn onto my back and look up at the ceiling, making sure it's the last thing I see before I shut my own eyes to sleep.

For some reason, I feel really good tonight.

* * *

**Hope you liked it. This is probably one of the best chapters I've written for anything, mainly in that it is one of the longest, and it took me barely no time to write.**

**This is something of a repeat from above, but ****DO NOT review this chapter complaining that she's OOC. I deliberately set this chapter further in the future to help explain her personality, and I'd like to think I made it repeatedly clear during the chapter. Everyone matures and has to grow up at some stage; why can't Ruby?**

**The next installment will be a return to the humour/friendship stance that this project embodies. Keep an eye out for updates on my profile page.**

**...Truly Yours, Kalico.**


	10. Uniforms

**Greetings and salutations, to the FINAL EVER INSTALLMENT to Different Shades of Life!**

**...Just kidding!**

**If you didn't know already, this 10th installment will be the "season finale" to this project. I will be going on a several-week-long "season break" to focus on other things and tee up future installments. But don't worry; at this point, there is no way I'd cancel this project or just leave it alone.**

**The way I'll structure this project will be; 10 installments make up a season, including two-parters (which I don't even have many of, to be honest). All stories will still be the same theme and feel as they are now; 9 installments which are fun, light and sometimes humourous, with a slightly introspective specialised installment toward the end; I had "Red" as the previous one; no points for figuring out the others in future.**

**So enjoy the season finale to Different Shades of Life; I'll see you all again sometime in the near future, with the 2nd season premiere!**

* * *

"Really, Yang, it's not that big a deal!"

"Of course it's a big deal! My little sister is leading her own team!" Yang gushed.

"Well, Ruby, considering the fact that you're literally the youngest person at this academy to be made a team leader, I have to agree with Yang here; it is a big deal," Blake reasoned.

"That's what I thought! High-five!" Yang raised her palm to Blake, who ghosted a smile, but gave the blonde an ultimately withering look and pushed the outstretched hand away.

"Yes yes, big deal, sure thing, now why don't we commemorate this moment by playing the Quiet Game?" Weiss asked irritably, rubbing her temples.

The newly-formed Team RWBY was walking the corridors of Beacon, trying to locate what would be their dorm room for the next four years of their life. All along the way, Yang was congratulating her younger sister, who was trying to brush off all the attention flying in her direction.

Yang narrowed her eyes at the heiress. "What's wrong with you? Aren't you excited about all this?"

Weiss glared back. "I suppose I was 'excited' at some stage earlier tonight, but after listening to you go on and on for the last ten minutes, I'd say that I'm approaching 'tension headache' mood."

Yang slowed her pace as she scanned the doors she passed, before finally coming to a halt. "I think this is it. Hang on," she pulled out the transformable key-card and swiped. "Ah-ha! Team RWBY," she announced, opening the door, "Welcome home!"

The girls shuffled inside, and immediately took to exploring their new living space. Ruby flopped down onto the bed furthest to the right wall and Weiss looked under the bed next to it, pleased to see that her luggage was already there.

Blake took a seat at a desk next to the doorway, and observed the scene. "Hmm…"

Yang noticed the concern in her voice. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure that there'll be much room once we get everything sorted," Blake mused. "But I suppose we'll get around to it in the morning; don't worry about it."

Unfortunately Yang decided it would be a better decision to address the issue at the moment. "It is pretty small, considering there's four of us living in here-"

"I told you not to worry about it…" Blake sighed, cutting in.

Yang ignored her. "-I wonder why they didn't just make it two-to-a-room…"

Weiss' immediately turned to face Yang. "What did you say?" she asked, with the slightest edge to her voice.

"I was wondering why they didn't make it two-to-a-room, what's the problem?"

Weiss crossed her arms and shot Yang an exasperated look. "Really?"

Yang caught on to what she was saying. "Oh, I see, you have a problem with sharing a room with Ruby, don't you?" she accused.

"No, but I have a problem with the two-to-a-room arrangement you speak of."

"Why?" Yang frowned.

"Two people living together can get…weird, from what I've heard," Weiss blushed.

Yang smirked. "What secrets are you hiding, Princess?"

Weiss looked down. "I don't want to talk about it…"

"…Really-"

"-I'll just say that I'm in favour of what we've got now," Weiss hastily brushed off the topic, and went back to cataloging her luggage.

"I think it's cool," Ruby muffled from the far end of the room, and stood up proudly on the bed. "Team RWBY, all in the one room!"

Yang, who had walked over, playfully pushed Ruby off the bed, prompting the younger girl to lunge at her. As the play-fighting quickly escalated into yet-another brawl between the two, Weiss walked over to where they were grappling each other. "Do you two have any idea how loud you are? We're not the only people in this building, you know!"

During the commotion, Blake had managed to dress into her nightwear, and was now sitting on her bed, watching the hysteria unfold before her. She closed her eyes, and exhaled deeply, before looking back up toward her teammates. "HEY!" she yelled over the din.

The three girls instantly stopped, and turned to look at Blake, whose amber eyes were now bearing down on them like raging flames. "People are tired from the events of the day, myself included. We can deal with _this _in the morning, when people are less tired and have the events of the day before them. But right now, I would like for us all to sleep, because I would like for us all to be mildly conscious during our first day of classes tomorrow morning. Sound like a good idea?" she glared daggers at all of them.

A tense silence followed as Blake calmed down, and eventually Weiss was the first to move. She walked back to the foot of her own bed, and began to put her suitcases back under it. Yang whispered to Ruby, "See you in the morning." She then gave her a brief hug, and walked over to the bed on the opposite side of the dorm, leaving the young scythe-wielder to start going through her things to find her own nightwear.

Her momentary outburst sated, Blake slipped into her sheets.

Weiss was still standing beside her bed, making sure everything was in order in the silence. However, Ruby refused to keep quiet. "I _could_ use a bit more room…"

Weiss grabbed her pillow, and dropped it on Ruby's face. "Mmph!" the younger girl cried as the pillow stifled her comments.

Blake closed her eyes. "Thank you, Weiss."

The heiress snatched her pillow off of Ruby's face and threw it back down onto her own bed. "No problem."

* * *

Ruby, Yang and Blake were standing around the foot of the latter's bed, staring at something which was laid out across it. They had gotten up early to start dealing with their possessions. Meanwhile, Weiss was still comfortably laid out in bed, sleeping the morning away. They'd decided not to wake her until it was absolutely necessary, lest she fly into some sort of morning rage and behead whoever wakes her up.

Ruby broke the silence. "Well, I suppose we knew it'd come down to this eventually."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we have to like it!" Yang countered.

"Um," Blake raised her hand at Yang. "Actually, we do. It's compulsory for all students," she stated. She noticed Yang frowning at her. "But look on the bright side," she hurriedly continued, and held up the checked dress tunic, examining it. "It's not like we have to wear these things all the time."

Ruby walked back over to them, now dressed in the new uniform, fastening her cloak as she did so. "I guess." she spoke up from behind the two.

Yang and Blake glanced at each other, as if mentally asking, _Did you see her leave?_

Ruby continued as if nothing had happened. "It's not actually that bad," she spun around once, her cloak flying about behind her, and nodded to herself in satisfaction. "This could work."

Roughly ten minutes later, all three girls were dressed in the identical Beacon uniforms, from the burgundy-checked dress and black-with-gold-trim blazer. The only thing that distinguished the outfits was the red-hooded cloak fastened onto Ruby's blazer, and the lack of stockings on Blake; both Yang and Ruby had decided to wear them, and the fiery girl had no trouble pointing out the fact.

"Look at you, Blake, showing off all kinds of leg in that dress!" Yang teased.

Blake looked over herself, and shrugged. "I wear tights when I'm fighting anyway, so I just felt like dressing differently for a change. And besides, you've seen me without tights when I'm wearing nightwear, so what?"

"Well, you know, don't you feel…" Yang paused, for dramatic effect. "_Sexy?"_ she half-whispered seductively.

Blake's eyes widened. "What in Vytal do you mean?"

Yang just smirked and raised her eyebrows up and down suggestively at the obsidian-haired girl, who backed away nervously.

Ruby could sense that the situation was devolving rapidly, and decided to intervene. "Um, do you guys think we should wake Weiss up, so we can start fixing up this room?"

"Uh, if you, uh, think it's necessary," Blake said as she carefully looked away from Yang, who was still staring at her with a smirk on her face. "Remember that it's about seven-forty-five at the moment, and I'm pretty sure our first class starts at nine, so we have to manage our time carefully and-"

"Yeah, okay, so I'm going to wake her up now," Ruby cut in. "Where's that whistle I saw lying around last night?" she began to walk around the room in search of it.

Yang watched her younger sister walk around the dorm. "What do you think Weiss will think about the uniform?" she asked Blake, who was standing next to her, also watching Ruby.

"Well, you can't expect anyone to be too happy with anything when they get blown in their ear," Blake pointed out.

Yang cracked a devious grin at the comment, much to Blake's dismay. "Hehe, blown-"

"Cut it out!" Blake shoved her hand over Yang's mouth to keep her quiet. "Argh!" she gasped, and quickly withdrew when the blonde licked her palm. "Disgusting, Yang!"

Yang looked unperturbed. "You asked for it."

"I found it!" Ruby cried out triumphantly, holding a small metallic whistle in her hand.

Weiss shifted in her bed, and Ruby tiptoed over to her side, motioning at Blake and Yang to be quiet.

"She's gonna get yelled at," Yang whispered in Blake's ear.

_BRRRRRRRRRR!_

"Ah!"

_THUD!_

"Good morning Team RWBY!"

"What in the world is wrong with you?!"

Yang raised her open palm towards Blake. Smiling, Blake returned the gesture. "Boom."

* * *

**Thus ends Season One! I never thought I would enjoy writing as much as I do now; these ten shorts were all incredibly enjoyable to craft and write, and I'll be back in the near future with another ten installments, set to kick off a second season of Different Shades of Life!**

**...Truly Yours, Kalico.**


	11. MESSAGE TO THE READERS

**To the readers of "Different Shades of Life",**

**Hey, everyone, Kalico here.**

**If you think this is a new installment, then I apologize. It is not, but I will be getting into production on Season Two for this project in the near future, and that's why I'm writing this (or have written this, however you perceive it).**

**I am happy to announce, that with recent developments in clearing my back catalog, that I am now willing to take requests for chapters in this project!**

***Imaginary crowd cheers***

**Yes, yes, I know. Now, if you have a request or a prompt you would like to see written, send me a Private Message!**

**Keep in mind that this is primarily a humor/friendship project, so nothing too morbid. AU concepts? Hmm, that depends on the concept; per the summary, these installments are about life outside of monster-slaying, and other light moments in the life of Team RWBY that get passed over in the series. As such, I like to keep it all within the realm and canonical bounds of the series.**

**Season Two will go on, regardless of the amount of requests I get; I have enough ideas of my own for more seasons, but I think that it's a good idea to get you (the lovely readers) involved, and give myself a fractional break every now and again. If I don't get to someone's prompt or request, it might be held over to a future season.**

**So, to summarize: I'm getting into Season Two production soon. If you want, feel free to ask for a request or prompt you would like to see, per the general requirements stated above. Nevertheless, Season Two is coming in the near future!**

**(This post will be up until the end of November)**

**…Truly Yours, Kalico.**


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